TOKYO-3 BABY-SITTERS
 
Written by Alain Gravel 

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Teahouse/2236/

Based on characters created by and copyright GAINAX
Started on May 9th 2000
First pre-reader draft finished on June 1st 2000
Second pre-reader draft finished on June 8th 2000
Final draft finished on October 3rd 2000

==================================================================

Chapter 4 - Welcome to the club


    "Come on Katsuragi..."
    "Really, I shouldn't..."
    It looked GOOD. So tempting. And as much as she wanted to 
accept Kaji's offer, she really couldn't stay. For far too long 
already she had left Rei and Shinji alone.
    "But you'll like it," insisted Kaji, waving the tempting 
object seductively in front of her face. A little drop dribbled 
from the tip, causing her eyes to go a little wide.
    "I said no!" She refused. But God... it had been awhile since 
she had it...
    "Your mouth says no, but your body says yes."
    That little smile of his, the one that said, "I'm reading you 
like an open book." She really hated that smile... yet it made him 
look so good...
    "Oh, shut up!"
    "Don't worry, we can make it quick."
    "What part of 'no' don't you understand?! Hey! Keep that thing 
away!"
    Although, just the sight of it... it almost made her drool. It 
was so... meaty...
    "Just open your mouth and enjoy it."
    "In your dreams! I won't be putting that..."
    Misato found herself speechless as Kaji skillfully slipped in 
her open mouth a fork full of his special spicy bacon and ham 
omelet.
    The Major almost purred with delight as her taste buds were in 
paradise. An intricate web of flavor, almost indescribable. How 
Kaji could manage to cook so well was beyond her. And with the 
recent weeks she had to go through with eating her own cooking, it 
felt like she had died and gone to heaven.
    "Fine," agreed Misato, losing to her growling stomach. "But 
let's make breakfast quick."
    "Relax, Katsuragi. I'm sure Rei handled Shinji without any 
problem. And we have plenty of time," answered Kaji, pointing 
toward a clock that barely indicated 6 AM.
    "I just can't help but worry..."
    Kaji smiled, seeing a side of Misato only a few people knew. 
The Misato who cared for the Children and considered them as much 
more than just tools. The woman who considered those Children as 
her own.

                              - - -

    Misato swore loudly as, for a moment, she imagined that her 
worst fears had come true. Shinji was crying so loudly that she 
could actually hear him through the door.
    "Kaji no baka!"
    The poor child was probably hurt, and all because Kaji had 
delayed her. Sure, Rei had probably done her best, but she was 
still too young for such responsibility, for God's sakes!
    As fast as she could, she entered the apartment and ran in the 
living room to simply freeze in her tracks.
    Had Shinji not been crying, it might just have been the most 
beautiful scene Misato had ever seen in her life. Rei was asleep, 
a serene expression on her face, Shinji cradled in her arms. It 
looked so... right.
    Nevertheless, Shinji was crying, which meant that something 
was wrong. It was probably nothing serious; Rei wouldn't be 
holding him that way if he was hurt or sick. Most likely, he was 
simply hungry.
    Still... how could Rei manage to sleep despite all of this 
racket?
    Never having visited Rei's apartment, Misato was ignorant of 
the fact that Rei had long ago mastered the art of tuning out any 
loud noises, whether it was construction equipment or the stray 
red-headed pilot.
    Since it seemed obvious that Rei wouldn't be waking up soon, 
Misato decided to let her have her sleep and take care of Shinji 
herself. A moment later, however, she almost regretted that 
decision. The instant her fingers brushed Shinji's skin, she found 
her wrist caught in a painful iron grip. Misato gritted her teeth 
as the pale fingers squeezed even harder, almost as if intending 
to crush Misato's bones. Rei's eyes snapped open and stared 
straight at her. For an instant, Misato felt scared at the 
intensity of the rage and fury she could see in those eyes. Then, 
Rei blinked several times, yawned and looked at Misato with what 
could almost pass as a puzzled expression on her face. The Major 
sighed in relief as Rei's hand released her wrist. She didn't look 
at it, but she was pretty certain it would be bruised for a while.
    "Major. You are back."
    Rei felt... confused. She couldn't remember the Major coming 
in. Therefore, it likely meant that she had fallen asleep. She 
frowned as she tried to remember what had led to the current 
situation. She remembered the child not wanting to leave her arms. 
Then she had laid down against a wall, in the exact position she 
was still in, which confirmed that she had indeed fallen asleep. 
Then... there had been a strange sense of danger... she had felt 
threatened. But it was very confusing. Looking at the child, she 
realized that he was crying, and she quickly understood why, as 
she noticed a wet and warm feeling on her leg. She lift the child 
up and her suspicions were visually confirmed by a large wet spot 
on her skirt.
    "This is not nice, Shinji."
    Misato didn't know if it was the fact that for once she wasn't 
the victim or the way Rei was admonishing Shinji, but she burst 
out laughing. A loud, pure, joyful laugh. All the worries had 
suddenly disappeared and Misato realized that life felt good.
    "Here, I'll take care of him," said Misato as she picked up 
Shinji from Rei's still outstretched arms. "Why don't you go take 
a bath and change clothes? After all, you can't go to school in 
that condition," added the Major as she pointed out the spot on 
her shoulder where Shinji had barfed, which still had traces, 
despite Rei's rudimentary efforts on cleaning it, as well as the 
location of the more recent incident.
    "I do not have other clothes."
    "Ooh..."
    Misato had forgotten all Rei's improvised visit and the 
following decision to let her take care of Shinji. This could be a 
small problem...
    For nearly a minute, she looked at Rei from head to toe, 
sizing her and considering her options. Rei wouldn't have the time 
to go home, then go to school; she would no doubt end up late. 
Driving her there implied either leaving Shinji alone or taking 
him with them, which she felt a bit reluctant to do. After all, 
Shinji was safe here, but outside... And she couldn't have Rei 
skip school. Only a few options remained, and out of them, she 
chose the one she considered the most practical. A grin slowly 
appeared on her face.
    "Don't worry, Rei. Just go take a bath, I'll take care of 
everything else: Shinji, breakfast and your clothes."
    Had she known Misato better, Rei would surely have felt an 
impending sense of doom.

                              - - -

    "I doubt this is appropriate."
    "Why? It all seems to fit... more or less."
    Rei was standing before Misato, her hair still slightly damp 
from her bath. While she didn't have any problem being forced to 
wear the same underwear as the previous day, she felt very 
uncomfortable about the rest of her clothes.
    Ever since she had started attending school, Rei only wore 
four different outfits: school uniforms, which also included a PE 
swimsuit and PE shorts and T-shirt, her plugsuit, a nightgown at 
night, as well as a swimsuit for her weekly exercising at NERV. So 
what she was currently wearing made her very uneasy, as it was the 
first time she actually wore such clothing. The problem wasn't 
really with the black T-shirt; she was used to those from PE 
class. Neither was the white shirt; wearing it over the T-shirt, 
she barely felt it. But the pants and belt... this was almost 
completely alien to her. It didn't provide her legs with the snug 
fitness a plugsuit did, nor did it leave them exposed as her 
school uniform skirt. It was... strange.
    But her main problem was the owner of these clothes. Ikari 
Shinji. She felt very self-conscious wearing his clothes. She had 
this strange impression of... intruding. Even if he was presently 
cradled in Misato's arms, she could almost feel the boy's presence 
in his clothes. It... smelled like him.
    "What?" asked Misato, noticing that Rei was taking a sniff at 
the sleeve of 'her' shirt for the third time in a minute. "These 
were washed a few days ago, I guarantee that they are clean!"
    Misato flashed a wide grin, somehow happy to tell someone that 
*she* had cleaned Shinji's clothes, instead of the opposite.
    "I... I cannot wear these clothes."
    "Sure you can!"
    Indeed, Misato was rather proud of this idea. Shinji was only 
slightly taller than Rei and since he was rather scrawny, his 
clothes fit Rei as she had expected. The waist of the pants was a 
bit too large, but it was nothing some extra holes in a belt 
couldn't handle.
    "This is a male school uniform. I am female. It will not be 
tolerated."
    "Relax Rei, there won't be any problems. And if anyone makes a 
fuss about this, just tell them to call me."
    Rei finally resigned herself. The Major would not change her 
mind. She would have to spend the... day... in Ikari-kun's 
clothes. The thought somehow made her cheeks feel rather... hot.
    "Understood."
    "Good! Now that it's settled, you can eat. I... I'm not very 
good, and I don't have much here right now... is toast and jam 
okay?"
    "It will be sufficient."
    That morning, Rei learned the hard way how Misato had gained 
the reputation of being a culinary disaster. She looked for a 
moment at the two pieces of black toast on her plate, then poked 
them with a knife. They were very resistant.
    "I think I may have overcooked them a bit. Strange, I did 
exactly what Shinji does every morning..."
    With a sigh barely louder than a whisper, Rei picked up a jar 
of jam and applied a generous portion of its contents onto the 
burnt toast. The first bite was almost painful, and the taste was 
a horrid mixture of sugary sweet berry jam and burnt toast, but 
Rei ate the whole thing nonetheless. After long instances of 
having LCL as her sole nourishment, Rei had learned that any taste 
was far more enjoyable. Except perhaps the taste of meat.
    "Will you... will you require my assistance again with 
Shinji?"
    The question surprised Misato. She had not expected Rei to 
actually talk while eating.
    "Well, to tell the truth, I had hoped that Asuka would help. I 
should have been more realistic..."
    "The Second Children is indeed very self-centered."
    "Yeah... but it's not entirely her fault. Well, in any case, 
any help you can give me will be more than welcomed. I never 
imagined it would be so much work to take care of a baby. It's 
exausting!"
    Rei nodded. Her recent experience had taught her that.
    "I think I can watch Shinji at night, as well as while you're 
at school. If you can watch him from... let's say... after school 
to around the time you usually go to bed; it should be enough time 
for me to get a good rest. How does it sound?"
    "It sounds... acceptable."
    At first, Misato had been sure that Rei would have said 
something else. She had seemed overjoyed for a second, but then 
had slipped into her usual demeanor again. So close to bringing 
her out of her shell, yet so far away. Well, at least it was 
progress, even if just a tiny bit. Maybe taking care of Shinji 
would help further bring down her defenses. Or some of them in the 
least.
    "Great! Welcome to the Tokyo-3 Baby-sitters club!"
    Rei blinked at that sudden cheer and stared for a moment at 
the Major's outstretched hand. She finally returned the handshake, 
although without the older woman's enthusiasm.
    "Once school is over, go to your apartment, and bring back 
what you need for staying a few days here. I'll be waiting!"
    "Understood."
    "Now, finish your breakfast, before you're late for school. 
Just because you'll stay here doesn't mean you have to pick up the 
bad habits of my former roommates."
    While she didn't comment, the way Rei looked at her told her 
clearly that she believed said roommates had probably picked up 
those habits from her.
    Soon, Rei was done with 'breakfast' and grabbed her school bag 
without wasting any time. She was putting on her shoes when Misato 
joined her, Shinji in arm and sucking on a bottle. From a pocket, 
the Major pulled some yen she gave to the blue haired girl.
    "Couldn't make you lunch, so I guess you'll have to buy it 
from the school cafeteria."
    Mentally, Rei let out a relieved sigh.
    "Enjoy your day! See you later!"
    Rei blinked. It was the first time in her life anyone had told 
her to enjoy herself...
    "I... I will try..."
    A confused look on her face, the girl left the apartment.
    "Maybe there's hope for her after all..." thought Misato as 
she watched the girl disappear into the elevator.

                              - - -

    Rei tried to ignore the curious stare most students and 
teachers alike gave her. It only partially worked. Although she 
appeared to other students as her usual cold self, all those eyes 
on her made her extremely self-conscious. Thankfully, since the 
object of the students' curiosity was Ayanami Rei, that attention 
was short lived. After all, not only was Ayanami an EVA pilot, but 
she was also well known for being strange, as well as other less 
pleasant qualifiers, ranging from "freak" to "cold hearted bitch". 
The teachers didn't exactly share such strong feelings, but they 
too lost interest in her very quickly, already having learned to 
keep out of NERV matters.
    So Rei quickly regained her status of someone that should be 
ignored. That is, until she reached her classroom.
    "Ayanami!? What are you doing!? This kind of attire is against 
school regulations!"
    Rei had expected such an outburst to come from the class 
representative. She had well observed this Horaki Hikari, which, 
like all her other classmates, was a potential EVA pilot 
candidate. She was soft hearted, but was also the type of person 
to take her responsibilities very seriously and was more mature 
than most of the other students in class. She knew it was 
pointless, but she had sometimes found herself wishing that such a 
girl had been chosen as Unit-02's pilot, instead of the current 
Second Children. It would have been much more easier to work with 
her. In a way, she was relieved that she hadn't been chosen to 
pilot Unit-03. It had kept her potential from being wasted.
    But for the time being, the girl's responsibility was to 
ensure that order in the class was kept. And the violation of the 
dress code Rei knew she was committing was no doubt bringing chaos 
to that order. She felt respect for the girl's efforts and it 
somewhat saddened her that she would have to stand up to her.
    So Rei looked straight into the brown eyes of the ponytailed 
girl. She knew that people were reluctant to stare directly into 
her eyes and she knew it would intimidate the girl.
    "I am wearing an authorized school uniform."
    The initial outburst of the class representative had attracted 
the attention of the remaining of the class... or at least the few 
students that still came to class. With Ikari-kun and the Fourth 
Children absent, the class was nearly empty. Aside from herself 
and the class representative, only Ikari-kun's friend Aida Kensuke 
and two other students were present. As well as the Second 
Children, which was currently worrying Rei more than Horaki.
    "Rei... you're wearing a MALE uniform! The teacher won't 
tolerate this... you'll get in trouble. This... this isn't like 
you at all..."
    "It was not my choice to do this. If there is need to file a 
complaint, then this matter will have to be discussed with Major 
Katsuragi."
    Hikari nodded. While she had no idea why Rei had to wear boys 
clothes, the fact that it all came from Major Katsuragi was good 
enough for her. She almost chuckled at her own naivete; Ayanami 
would never have done such a thing of her own volition. A frown 
appeared on her face, however, as she noticed the irate red headed 
girl making her way toward Ayanami. Without any doubt, it meant 
trouble. From the corner of her eye, she could already see Kensuke 
aiming his camera toward the two EVA pilots, no doubt hoping to 
catch a great fight on film. Sighing, she tried to think of a way 
to calm Asuka, or at least distract her.
    "These are Shinji's clothes!" proclaimed Asuka, finger 
pointing toward Rei's chest.
    Since class was nearly empty, the only sound of surprise came 
from Kensuke. Which disappointed Asuka, as she had somewhat 
expected a bigger reaction.
    "Correct," answered Rei, matter-of-factly.
    Rei's lack of reaction naturally only added to Asuka's 
outrage.
    "WHY ARE YOU WEARING SHINJI'S CLOTHES?!"
    Rei only stared straight toward Asuka for a few seconds, while 
she thought about how to answer this question. Quite possibly, the 
Second Children knew of Shinji's condition. However, the Major had 
not expressly stated that. And even if the Second Children knew, 
then this matter was most likely one that other people present 
should not be informed of.
    "My clothes got damaged while I was helping Major Katsuragi 
with her new charge," answered Rei very calmly. Her next words, 
however, carried a harsher tone, despite being spoken only a 
little bit louder than a whisper. "A task you ran from, if I 
understand correctly."
    To everyone's disbelief, Asuka found herself speechless before 
Rei. A fact the blue-haired girl ignored as she walked past the 
girl and sat at her desk, to look out the window, as she usually 
did. Her thoughts, however, were more turbulent than her calm 
exterior let on, as she finally had time to ponder on the recent 
events in peace.

                              - - -

    While the old teacher rambled about the crisis that plagued 
the post-Second Impact world, Asuka fumed. And the worst part was 
that she didn't know at whom she should be the more angry. Misato, 
who had replaced her with Rei? That bitch, Wondergirl, who had 
pointed out that she was replacing her? Or herself, who had just 
lost a golden opportunity?
    The night Asuka first came to live with Hikari, the ponytailed 
girl had been very upset with her. When not playing class 
representative, Hikari was a caring and gentle person. She tried 
her best to make her friends happy, but without asking anything 
else in return. She respected the privacy of others and this 
suited Asuka perfectly. In fact, it was probably one of the 
reasons why they were still friends. At first, Asuka had decided 
to be friendly with the girl because of her status in class. She 
had responsibilities, people respected her and she was her main 
competition when it came to getting the boys' attention. But 
quickly, Asuka found herself enjoying the other girl's company. 
Unlike most of the other students, Hikari didn't seem intimidated 
by her, and she seemed to want to be her friend... simply because 
she wanted to. And they had a few things in common, certainly more 
then she would ever have with Ayanami, despite that they were both 
EVA pilots. So, Asuka had been rather shocked to see Hikari angry 
at her. The class representative had allowed Asuka to sleep with 
her, but beyond that, the brown haired girl practically ignored 
her presence. Only the next day did Asuka finally understand why, 
and by that time, Hikari had already apologized for her previous 
rude actions.
    Hikari was the heart of the Horaki house. Everyone and 
everything seemed to depend on her. The household chores were her 
complete responsibility, as well as the well-being of the family, 
apparently. From what she knew, Hikari's mother had died a few 
years earlier and, as she watched Hikari play with her younger 
sister Nozomi, help her older sister Kodama choose a dress for a 
date and listen to her father as he talked about his day at work, 
Asuka came to the conclusion that somehow Hikari had taken her 
mother's place. Enlightened with this new realization, Asuka could 
now better understand Hikari's reaction. To someone who took 
family responsibilities as seriously as Hikari, leaving home when 
Misato needed her probably seemed totally selfish. Hikari's 
apparent love of babies had probably only added to her anger. If 
this whole situation seemed completely trivial to Asuka, it was 
probably very important to Hikari. And yet, after a few hours of 
sleep, Hikari had pushed all those matters aside because she 
considered Asuka her friend. The EVA pilot didn't really know what 
to think about the whole situation. So she simply decided not to 
think about it, period.
    However, trying not to think about Shinji was something else 
altogether. Asuka was certain that Hikari wasn't doing it on 
purpose -- Hikari wasn't that type of person -- but to Asuka's 
annoyance, the ponytailed girl just kept mentioning Shinji every 
time she could. And sometimes, some rare times, Hikari's words 
would make Asuka doubt the rightness of her choice. It was really 
only a matter of time before she'd find her resolve crumbling.
    And the worst part was that Hikari wasn't even responsible for 
her change of heart.
    It had all started rather innocently. On the previous day, 
Kensuke approached her and Hikari to ask her if she had any news 
about Shinji. Now, while she had no interest in baby Shinji, Asuka 
had of course realized that such a matter was not to be discussed, 
and so told Kensuke on very clear terms to get lost (in a way 
involving a string of German curses, Kensuke's camera and a 
suggestion on a very painful way to use it). But knowing that 
Asuka wouldn't do anything excessively harmful in Hikari's 
presence, Kensuke decided to stay, if only to infuriate the 
redhead more. Hikari took the opportunity of Kensuke's question to 
say just how much it was a shame that Shinji was away, with the 
Major taking care of baby Shinji. Kensuke nodded, adding that 
Shinji was indeed the reliable type and that it was no wonder that 
the Major preferred him on the battlefield over her other 
roommate. After all, if he was reliable in real life, he would 
tend to be in the field.
    Asuka was about to argue that Shinji was not reliable at all, 
having failed to fight the Thirteenth Angel and then running away 
afterward, but the words died in her mouth. Mentioning the 
Thirteenth Angel would not be wise with Hikari around and she had 
been herself too distracted by the identity of the Fourth Children 
to do anything. Heck, even Rei hadn't dared to kill him. And as 
for running away, Shinji had come back at the last second to fight 
and beat the Fourteenth Angel. As infuriating as it was, Shinji 
*was* reliable. He had been there for every single Angel from the 
Third to the Fourteenth. He had saved her life against the Eighth. 
He had stopped the Tenth from hitting the ground and destroying 
NERV. Despite all odds, he had beaten the Twelfth even when 
everyone considered him no better than dead.
    You could always count on the Invincible Shinji.
    As she kept hearing Kensuke's words in her mind all day, even 
as she laid in bed, sleep completely out of her reach, Asuka 
started to revise her position.
    Misato had been expecting her to help. She had said so 
herself. Instead, she had run away. Perhaps her reasons were 
valid, but she had failed Misato nonetheless. Of course, she had 
no obligation toward Misato; she only lived with her because it 
was convenient. If needed, she was pretty sure that she could be 
on her own like Rei was. Misato tried to be nice, but Asuka bore 
no illusion and knew that the woman simply did her job, nothing 
more. So there was no reason why she should accept every request 
coming from her. But Misato was also Director of Operations at 
NERV. She was the one who decided who fought and who didn't, who 
took point and who would act as backup. Asuka's career as EVA 
pilot was literally in her hands. Now, Misato didn't seem the kind 
to use such a thing as blackmail, but what Kensuke had said had a 
ring of truth: Misato would probably be more inclined to trust old 
reliable Shinji over her now. Especially with her latest failures. 
All things considered, Rei's battle record seemed as good as hers. 
Gaining Misato's trust outside of NERV might just help her 
overlook her recent problems.
    So Asuka had come to a decision. She would go back 'home' and 
help Misato take care of the child. She wasn't overjoyed with the 
prospect of diaper changing and crying babies at night, but if it 
could give her an extra chance to show that she could outdo 
Shinji, then she would grit her teeth and do what was required. 
And in the end, Misato only needed some help; she had never asked 
for her to care about the child.
    And now, this opportunity was gone. Misato had found someone 
to help her. Someone much more reliable than her. Someone to 
*replace* her. Ayanami Rei...
    She knew it was the result of her own choices, but she 
couldn't help but feel her anger toward the other pilot rise. How 
dare she...?
    Her anger however quickly deflated. After all, it was all too 
late now...
    Or was it?

                              - - -

    Overall, school had not been as bad as Rei had expected. The 
Second Children had remained strangely subdued for the reminder of 
the day. Teachers and students, including the class 
representative, quickly ceased to notice her or her attire. In 
fact, for the most part, it was almost a day like any other. She 
even stopped thinking about the fact she was wearing Ikari-kun's 
clothes after a few hours.
    Still, the first thing she did as she entered her apartment 
was to change into her regular clothes.
    And now she was back to the Katsuragi household. And she would 
see Shinji again. The thought made her smile. A very faint smile, 
but a smile nonetheless.
    "Finally! You're here!"
    Rei blinked once as the Major seemed to just appear right 
before her the moment she entered her apartment. Quickly, Rei 
noted that the Major was wearing a skirt and a sleeveless blouse 
which, while more casual than her uniform, was definitely more 
formal than the usual clothing she wore at home.
    "We're nearly out of diapers and formula, so I've got to make 
a quick errand! For some reason, I couldn't find Makoto 
anywhere..."

                              - - -

    In his sleep, earplugs ensuring that it would remain 
undisturbed, Makoto smiled. Following Shigeru's advice, he had 
decided to switch to the night shift for a few days. Recently, 
Misato had taken on the habit of calling him at work to do all her 
errands and he was very aware of the dark glances the Sub-
Commander was giving him each time he left the Control Center 
under Misato's "orders". While he didn't mind in the least helping 
her, it was starting to jeopardize his career. And since he 
couldn't bring himself to refuse her request, this was simply the 
best way...

                              - - -

    "So, I've got to go myself. Now, Shinji has been fed and 
changed not too long ago and he's taking a little nap, so he 
shouldn't be a problem. Oh! I've left some instant ramen in the 
fridge, just needs to be microwaved. Be back soon!"
    And so, without even leaving Rei the chance to react, the 
Major walked past her and was long gone. Rei blinked a second time 
as she tried to analyze what had just happened.
    Her excitement faded, as she realized that she would not be 
able to care for Shinji, as Misato had already done all the 
required tasks. But then again, she was supposed to care for him 
until around 23h00, if her agreement with the Major was still 
valid. Surely the child would wake up in that period. And then she 
would be able to take care of him again.
    Feeling a certain warmth inside of her at that thought, she 
made her way to the kitchen to store some food she had the good 
idea to take with her, along with some clothes and other 
necessities. Looking at the "ramen" the major had mentioned, Rei 
was glad she took that precaution. Now, if she could only find 
some space to store it, the fridge being filled up mostly by beer 
and baby food...

                              - - -

    Misato came back about an hour (54 minutes and 38 seconds 
exactly, if someone asked Rei) after she had left. From what she 
had gathered from the Major, Rei assumed that it had actually been 
"fast" for her. It had only taken a third of that time for Rei to 
prepare her meal and eat it, five minutes had been dedicated to 
personal hygiene and the remainder of the time had been spent by 
looking at Shinji's sleeping form. The child had not woken in that 
period and only the faint rising and falling of his chest 
indicated that he was actually alive and not simply a small doll.
    Silently, as not to wake the child up, Misato lowered the 
large bags she was carrying and walked up to Rei, startling the 
girl as she gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. Not knowing how to 
react to what she believed was a sort of show of affection, Rei 
simply didn't react at all.
    "He's so cute when he sleeps," whispered the Major.
    Rei surprised both Misato and herself by nodding in approval.
    "But when he wakes up..." added the Major with a slight 
grimace, as she thought about all the crying and diaper 
changing...
    "He is still cute," Misato nearly gasped at such a statement 
from Rei. "When he's awake... he is still cute."
    "Yes... I guess he is," admitted Misato. "But then, Shinji's 
always been cute, hasn't he?" added the Major, barely restraining 
a grin.
    The faint blush on Rei's usually pale cheeks spoke louder than 
words.
    "Oh? So you think Shinji-kun is cute too?" teased Misato. It 
had been so long since she last had someone to tease. It was 
something she had missed greatly. Something she had taken for 
granted, before Shinji disappeared into Unit-01.
    The blush on the girl's face was starting to deepen.
    "You... embarrass me."
    Misato giggled, forgetting all about the child sleeping 
nearby. So Rei was an ordinary girl after all... this was too good 
to pass up.
    "Do you think of him, at night, when you're lying in bed?"
    A wolf grin showed on her face.
    "Of course," answered Rei matter-of-factly.
    Misato didn't know what was surprising her the most, Rei's 
words or her lack of reaction.
    "You... you think of him?!"
    "Yes. As well as Commander Ikari..." Misato let out a 
horrified gasp as some thoughts of Rei and the Commander crossed 
her mind, "Sub-commander Fuyutsuki, Doctor Akagi, you and the 
Second Children. Commander Ikari always says that knowing your 
opponents' and allies' strengths and weaknesses is key to 
attaining your goals."
    The Major let out sigh of relief, although she felt a bit 
disappointed. Rei seemed back to her usual self now.
    "Oh... I see... so you take some time each night to review the 
events of the day before going to sleep, correct?"
    "Yes."
    Misato nodded. It was something she did herself after each 
Angel battle... at least if she didn't pass out from drinking too 
much beer first.
    "And what are your goals, Rei?"
    The Evangelion pilot was spared the need to answer, however, 
as Shinji made it known that the progressively increasing noise 
made by his two caretakers had woken him up. Misato was about to 
reach for the child when Rei stopped her.
    "I will take care of him. You should get some rest."
    For some reason she couldn't figure, Misato wasn't totally 
sure that this was only a suggestion. But it was the deal she had 
made with Rei and she had to admit she felt a bit tired. 
    "Alright... you take care of him. If needed, the diapers and 
formula are in these bags." Then the Major's eyes lit up as she 
suddenly remembered a few other things she had bought. Looking 
through one of the bags, she pulled out a video disc case and 
handed it to Rei. "You can watch that with Shinji. I loved 
watching it when I was a little girl." Rei stared a moment at the 
'Hello Kitty' video cover and wondered if a baby actually had a 
sufficiently developed brain to actually watch such a thing. "And 
I found this for him to keep him company in his sleep..." The huge 
smile on the Major's face should have prepared Rei for the worst. 
Nevertheless, a deep frown became visible on her features as she 
took a good look at the doll Misato had handed her.
    It was a super-deformed kind of doll, the kind which usually 
had a head too big for a chubby body, and small limbs. To any 
other observers, the doll would have been considered as cute. But 
to Rei, cute was the last thing that came to mind.
    If the doll's large brown eyes and smile could have mislead 
those who knew the model the doll was based on, there was no way 
to miss the short fuzzy blue hair as well as the white plugsuit 
the doll was wearing, even if crudely designed.
    In her left hand, the right being monopolized by Shinji, Rei 
held the latest product issued by NERV's public relation 
department: the Zerogouki Pilot doll. Despite the fact that NERV 
was the last line of defense against the Angels, a lot of people 
either feared or hated NERV, from reasons varying from the EVAs 
scary appearance to NERV's excessively high operating cost. So EVA 
Pilots dolls, as well as Evangelions action figures had been made 
and released as merchandise to brighten its image among children. 
The basic idea of this project was that if children trusted NERV, 
then their parents might be inclined to do so as well. And it was 
also an interesting source of revenue.
    "Isn't it cute?"
    Misato wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but she 
was almost sure she saw Rei's eyebrow twitch before her frown 
deepened.
    "It does not look like me."
    Misato couldn't quite believe it. Rei seemed... displeased...
    "I am not fat," added Rei, which caused Misato to burst out 
laughing. When she noticed Rei's stern gaze at her, she made an 
attempt to sober back up.
    "I... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." she gasped, before bursting 
out laughing again.
    "Gah... gah... ga!"
    Misato's became serious again, as she looked to see why Shinji 
seemed suddenly so animated. She blinked as she noticed that 
Shinji's little hands were trying to grasp the doll Rei held only 
inches from him.
    "I think he wants the doll."
    Having noticed the baby's behavior herself, Rei brought the 
doll closer to the child. As it came within reach, Shinji grasped 
it and held it to his tiny chest, giggling as the doll's hair 
tickled his nose. When she tried to get the doll back, Rei 
realized that the child was holding it too tightly for her to take 
it without the use of force.
    "I think he likes it," commented Misato.
    Rei nodded, her features now more neutral, although a smile 
seemed to be creeping at the edge of her lips.
    "Perhaps... it is not so bad after all," admitted Rei, as she 
sat down, delicately placed the child on the floor, and watched 
him play with the doll.
    A proud smile on her face, Misato left the two alone to get a 
well-deserved rest.

                              - - -

    Determined not to lose, Asuka walked the now familiar path 
that would lead her to Misato's apartment. It was how she 
preferred to call it. "Home" didn't sound... right.
    As she thought back at her reaction in school, Asuka couldn't 
believe she had been about to give up so easily. So what if Rei 
had taken care of that stupid baby Shinji? For sure she could do 
it better than her. And as soon as Misato would see that she was 
serious about helping her, she'd send Rei away. If she hadn't 
already. One would be crazy to let this girl take care of a child.
    Discreetly, she entered the apartment. If she wanted Misato to 
trust her again, she had to make sure that the Major believed she 
cared about Shinji, which meant not waking him up. It seemed like 
the right thing to do, since an almost eerie silence had taken 
possession of the apartment. A silence that was only an apparent 
one, however, as she realized a faint voice could be heard coming 
from the living room as her steps brought her closer there. She 
froze at the sight awaiting her. She saw Ayanami sitting on the 
floor, leaning against a wall, baby Shinji cradled in her arms.  
The strangest thing, however, was how lively Ayanami seemed. The 
voice she had heard was hers, but it was all wrong. Instead of the 
subdued emotionless voice was a joyful, rich voice, even if she 
didn't speak much louder than a whisper.
    Wanting to hear what Ayanami was saying, Asuka walked a few 
steps closer. Apparently, Rei was telling the child a story. She 
was so engrossed in it that she hadn't noticed the German girl.
    "... The evil oni spoke, its voice loud and heavy as pitch 
black darkness: 'If you don't give me the soul crystal, I'll kill 
your beloved Tokiko. What will you choose, Tanaka? The life of 
this little princess... or the world?' Knowing the weakness of the 
human heart, the evil oni gloated, his success becoming clear as 
the young samurai sheathed his sword. The princess cried, as she 
urged the samurai to destroy the soul crystal, even at the cost of 
her life. 'If you love me', she said, 'you'll let me die to save 
the world.' Looking straight into the beautiful princess' eyes, 
the samurai asked: 'Hime-sama... do you love me?' Hearing the 
question she had dreaded for so long, the princess bit her lip, 
but sure that this would be her last words, answered: 'Yes.' The 
samurai then smiled and with all his might, threw the crystal to 
the ground, shattering it in a thousand pieces. The oni growled in 
anger, but was surprised to see the samurai leap at him at a speed 
he had never seen in a mortal before. Using his family ancestral 
battou technique, the samurai struck. The fires of love and the 
desire to protect his princess burned within the heart of the 
warrior and for only a few seconds, his blade glowed, powered by 
the samurai's spirit. Not having anticipated the pure feelings of 
the warrior's heart, the oni found itself defenseless, the light 
piercing through his evil. The blade entered his flesh above his 
right hip and exited by his left shoulder, literally slicing the 
oni in half. With a scream, the oni's body crumbled into dust. The 
samurai helped the princess to stand on her feet and under the 
moonlight, the two lovers kissed."
    As she watched Ayanami telling this tale to the young Shinji, 
Asuka remembered a scene from a long time ago, in a far away 
place.
    'And so, they lived happily ever after.'
    'Yay! Mama! Mama! Tell me another story!'
    'Now, Asuka... it's time to sleep.'
    'Tell me another story!'
    'Oh, alright... but it's the last one and you must promise me 
to go to sleep after it.'
    'I love you Mama!'
    Asuka shook her head in denial, not wanting to remember this. 
Because if she remembered the good memories, then the bad would 
also come...
    "No... no... no... NO! NOOOOO!"
    Finally noticing the Second Children's presence, Rei looked 
straight at her, her unblinking red gaze burrowing deep into 
Asuka's blue eyes.
    'Asuka darling, please, come to heaven with me.'
    Emotionless eyes looking at her. Eyes almost... dead. Like...
    *The little girl stood in the doorway, staring in horror at 
the inanimate body of her mother, hanging from the ceiling of her 
hospital room, her empty eyes opened in a way that almost made it 
look as if she was looking straight at her...*
    'Asuka darling, please, come to heaven with me.'
    The eyes... the little doll in her hands...
    "NO! Don't... don't look at ME!"
    Scared and confused, Asuka ran out of the apartment, leaving 
behind a puzzled Rei and a worried Misato, who had been awakened 
by Asuka's first screams. When she tried to run after her however, 
the Major couldn't find any traces of the redheaded girl.
    "This is bad..."
    She was relieved however to learn, after a phone call to NERV 
security, that Asuka was on her way toward the Horakis' home. Not 
wasting time, she phoned the class representative and briefly 
explained the situation to her without going into details. Once 
she was finally sure that Asuka would have someone she could talk 
to and a shoulder she could lean on if she felt the need to, 
Misato prepared her trusty coffee machine for a much needed cup. 
She doubted she could go back to sleep.
    She really wished she hadn't stopped drinking.
    For a moment, Rei watched the Major and took notes of her 
actions, but lost interest after a while and instead looked at the 
sleeping child cradled into her arms, and smiled.



[To be continued...]



Author's notes:

Oh, before someone point it out, it was on purpose that I used 
contractions in the story Rei was telling. Using it or not is 
simply to give a more monotone feel to Rei's words (since she 
really speaks Japanese). From this, you can make your own 
conclusions...

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/teahouse/2236/myfics

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